Wednesday, March 9, 2016

I’m an In-Betweener

I guess I’m an in-betweener.

I was born near the end of the Baby Boomer Generation; so
much so that all the good picket signs were taken by the time I got my first tie-dye
t-shirt...and born too early to even be considered anything close to a
Generation X-er.

But I did have an Atari.

Yep, that’s me: Born a day late and a dollar short...which
seems to be a pattern.

I was just under the height line to show much interest in—let
alone attend—Woodstock...although I did buy the album and saw the movie 3 or 4
times, if that counts.

I also listened to so called “counter culture” radio
stations in the late 60s, was against the war and ready to join the “revolution”
to drive Nixon out of the White House...I mean, until I had to get back home for
supper at 6.

And sure...Saturday was “alright for fighting” but it was
also the night Mary Tyler Moore and Bob Newhart were on...so choices had to be
made.

I was much too young to have cared what the “Shadow knows”
and way too old to have been captivated by an episode of Sesame Street, let alone, Full
House...and I was never Saved by the Bell.

Not once....

The only thing I knew about Growing Pains was the ache I
felt in my knees in 7th grade.

That’s just where I fell...where I fall...always, somewhere
in between.

So while I’ve been wandering around looking for my socks these
last few decades, a whole bunch of new generational folks have sprouted and are
now apparently running things.

Whasup wit dat?

Generation X...which if anything, sounds way cooler than “Boomer”.

Generation Y...why did your change your name to Millennials?

Always shaking things up.

We had such a nice flow going.

And now another new crop—the iGeneration—soon to be
harvested, knocking on the door.

You know, the kids who toss their water bottles in your
driveway and hover-board on your lawn on the way home from school, every day.

But that’s just how things go when you insist on waking up
every new day after new day after new day.

More and more fresh faces arrive on the scene and push the
rest of us up and out of the way...plus, they know how to get all the good concert
tickets.

Sometime back, I started noticing I had absolutely no
interest in seeing any more Super Hero Movies.

I know...right?

No interest in watching so called “real people” discuss
their sex lives, drug addiction, foot fetish or broccoli obsession on TV.

No interest in watching people house hunting, flipping or remodeling.

I really don’t care what’s inside that abandoned storage
locker.

Or who can make the best “what” out of “whatever” on how
many countless cooking competition shows, all apparently judged by the same 3
or 4 people.

My taste in music seems hopelessly shackled to bands and
musicians that were mostly born before I was, or slightly thereafter.

Athletes today seem somewhat more pampered, entitled and overpaid
for me to invest as much time and passion as I used to in any one team. As long
as there’s another millionaire ready to step in and hit .380 during the playoffs,
it’ll be okay, no matter who it is or what they’re “supplementing” their diet
with.

Still, I know my current lack of empathy and interest in
modern culture has little to do with the quality and tenor of the product...and
more to do with my generational detachment.

None of these things are meant to garner my approval...or
even my dollar...not any more.

The driving forces behind Batman vs. Superman vs. Hulk vs.
Archie, were all born 25 years or more after I first sat down to watch My
Favorite Martian, Man from Uncle and Lost in Space.

I had just graduated from College when Star Wars first
appeared, amazed us and changed the way we thought about movies.

The Super Bowl was still in single digits...except they were
marked by Roman Numerals, which only have one single digit....just sayin.

I don’t know...obviously.

I guess what I’m trying to acknowledge, in my long winded, analogue-gical
fashion is I’ve just out-aged most of it.

I’ve been there done that...and then done it again, two or
three times more.

I’m just not all that amazed anymore....

Which, I’m okay with.

Really, I am.

There are still a lot of contemporary things out there I
enjoy.

Like texting, so I don’t have to actually talk to anyone.

Or...on the other end...Video-Calling...so I can draw
mustaches on people when they start to annoy me.

And computers so I can write “stuff” like this to annoy you.

And in all honesty, because, for the most part, you have to
parse through most of what I write to categorize truth from hyperbole...there’s
quite a bit of 21st century culture that I do appreciate....Bieber
aside.

And if you’re of my particular “in-between” generation, you should
too.

There’s still great writing, great music, great film
making...great everything.

You just have to sift through the stuff your brain won’t
process on an intelligible level.

Sure, we had the Beatles and still have Springsteen.

But we also had Freddie and the Dreamers and still have to
endure Wheel of Fortune.

Every generation has their good and bad.

And don’t criticize what you can’t understand...even Robert
Downey Jr. as Ironman and Sherlock
Holmes.

7 comments:

That took me back some Brian, I hadn't realised you are so old in fact, I do believe you nearly as old as me. My Favourite Martian, I Love Lucy, the Flintstones Dick Van Dyke Show, Mr Ed and Just Dennis are flashing before my eyes as I write this review of your work. Thanks for the memories anyway.

we have the water bottles and neighbor's hover board that matty uses.... and the sad truth is that i want to disregard that the years are piling up behind me and the kids are growing up way too quickly... i still remember listening to wings in my mom's plymouth when i was little...

was it an 8 track? we used to rock out to my mom's earth wind and fire 8 track. those were the days. before my pip smoking. oh and philadelphia freedom was also part of my childhood soundtrack. so many memories when i hear it on the radio...

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About Me

My passion these days is writing silly stories for “The
Freelance Retort”, the humor website I began in May of 2011 when the world was
supposed to come to an end. It didn’t and now I’m stuck writing these things 2
or 3 times a week.My passion before that was chocolate ice cream.

When I’m not doing this, I’m a freelance, corporate writer/director/ producer, which means—besides the many slashes—I create everything from promotional, instructional and training videos to interactive on line presentations for various corporation and health care companies. In that sense I guess you could say that I’m a “professional writer” since I do get paid to write, work from home and have lots of free time to myself. However, most of my friends and neighbors think I’m just goofing off. Naturally, being a freelance writer who deals with the sometimes insanity of the corporate world from the safety of the creative fringe, my views will more often than not be tinged with cynicism, sarcasm and a fair share of self-deprecation. I hope you enjoy them in the spirit in which they are intended….